SunRise Climber Dome by Hearth Song

Grandbub #1 comes to climbing honestly. His Daddy never met a vertical surface that didn’t invite him to scale. It started when he was a toddler. He would grab onto posts on the staircase, put his feet on the wall and pull himself up. He would then squeeze through the posts and make his way onto the landing. Once on the landing, he’d scamper 2 or 3 steps up and repeat the process to deposit himself right in front of his room. He reversed that for a long time until he discovered the thrill of jumping from the top of the stairs to the landing…. KABOOM!! THAT went on for years and years and years—it’s amazing the landing never gave way!

So when I started seeing pictures like this:
And this:

And experienced grandbub #1’s excitement in climbing up our stairs when he was out visiting…
I knew I wanted to support this climbing need!

I wanted to facilitate his climbing indoors, but since they live in the Sunshine State the ideal toy would be something that could go outside too. One other catch though was the fact that FL wasn’t going to be called home too much longer so I wanted something that could be easily transported. I found it with Eezy Peezy’s Monkey Bars Climbing Tower! Turned out helping his Dad make it was fun too!
Though the manufacturer’s stated age-range said 3-6 years, I was confident grandbub #1 would be able to master it, under his Mama’s close supervision, in no time even though he wasn’t 2 yet. He proved me right…

Age-appropriate risk is vital to your kiddo’s development!

All learning and growing requires some kind of risk! If you’re looking for something for your older kiddo to climb with their friends you could try Hearth Song’s Sunrise Climber Dome!

The Climber Dome has a 10’ diameter and is 5’ high. Common sense would dictate placing it on grass and/or a nice, thick bed of wood chips…NOT asphalt as was the case for the elementary school playground monkey bars I played on!
This picture, from a 1959 Saturday Evening Post article on Playgrounds, shows the exact design of the monkey bars we played on! I—and many others—twirled around the top bar, holding onto the bar and, with a controlled release, sit down on the bar below. Yes, there were occasional broken bones, but you’d probably be surprised how small that number was—it certainly wasn’t an annual occurrence.

(click image)

Giving your child the opportunity to use their body helps them to discover their body’s capabilities even as their developing new skills. Additionally, evidence suggests physically active children are more likely to grow into physically active adults. Make being active fun!

Kids will have fun using the Climber Dome! Furthermore, it’ll foster your kiddo’s motor skills as well as their proprioception, the awareness of their body in space. Finally, there are multiple accessories available to enhance your kidlet’s PLAY; taking their overall development to a greater depth and transforming the Climber Dome into a Climber Activity Center.

CONS:
● Adult assembly required
● Age range: 9-12 years …seems a little on the older side, especially if parents are supervising
● Cost—this isn’t cheap…especially if you add the accessories
● Space requirements—this is large!
● Outdoor use only–unlike the climbing dome like I got for grandbub #1, but that one is also smaller

It seems so few parks and/or schools really have the types of climbing structures that offer kiddos that right amount of thrill–if your backyard can accommodate a climbing dome, consider adding one! I’m thinking lots of kidlets will be wanting to come on over to PLAY! Extend an invitation to their parents too–it might just be the start of a Parent Support group!

Yours in Play!
Teacher Karen

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